FixIT - activities to increase the proportion of women in FORREGIONS's innovation projects

Even though innovation is considered vital for development of society, less women than men are involved in research-based innovation, in particular related to technology development in fields where women are a minority. "FixIT" will help to increase women's participation in research and innovation in Sogn & Fjordane and Hordaland. FixIT will in particular work to improve the gender balance in the projects under the Norwegian Research Council programme FORREGION, which aims at mobilizing industries to research-based innovation. FixIT aims to identify, mobilize and recruit women to these innovation projects.

A main goal for FixIT is to develop a "balance competence package" that will contribute to a general increase in awareness and knowledge about gendered structures in research and innovation. A balance competence course will be offered to innovation actors from private and public sector, aiming to increase the competence among FORREGION participants about which mechanisms that work to include and exclude certain groups. A central part of the course will be knowledge about tools that can contribute to an improved gender balance. Finally, the activities will be evaluated and the balance competence package will be made available for other FORREGION and innovation actors.

Western Norway Research Institute with Hilde G. Corneliussen is project leader for FixIT. Project partners include Western Norway University of Applied Sciences with representatives from two FORREGION projects (Teknoløft S&Fj and Kabis). In addition, there is a wide group that includes private and public sector involved, with IT-forum S&Fj, Innovation Norway, the women's networks Girl Geek Dinners Førde and GGD Bergen, Oda network for women in tech, Bergen. FixIT is also connected to Nordwit, a Nordic Centre of Excellence doing research on women's technology-related careers (nordwit.com). Nordwit contribute with research-based knowledge for the balance competence package.

Start date:
End date:
Id:
6512
Project lead:
Research Professor and Reaserch Leader
Project staff:
Senior Researcher